Minor fire erupts on fourth floor of Mantralaya; no casualty

A minor fire erupted on the fourth floor of Mantralaya, the Maharashtra government secretariat in South Mumbai, on Monday night, but no casualty was reported, Fire Brigade officials said.

According to the officials, the fire erupted around 8. 30 pm and it was doused around 9.30 pm.

"No one suffered any injuries in the fire that could have started due to a short-circuit," said a Fire Brigade officer.

"The fire was confined to a computer and printer in one of the closed cabins of the urban development department on the fourth floor near the chamber of the urban development minister," he said.

Due to the blaze, dense smoke engulfed the entire floor, the officer said.

Four fire engines and three tankers rushed to the spot to douse the flames, said the officer, adding it was a minor fire.

"False ceilings were removed at some places and operation of AC plant room was stopped for the time being," said the senior fire officer.

The office of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray termed the incident as unfortunate.

"These are testing times but nothing can bring down our morale. The fire on the 4th floor of Mantralaya, Mumbai isunfortunate but the good news is all our Officers, Staff, Security are safe and sound," tweeted the Chief Minister Office (CMO).

On June 21, 2015, a major portion of Mantralaya was gutted in a devastating blaze in the high security complex, the seat of power in the state which houses the offices of ministers and top bureaucrats.

Five people had died and 20 others injured in the fire that had destroyed several files.